From Sunday On

Take Our PollI had committed to enrolling 10 people and on Monday morning woke up and declared I would fulfill that commitment.And I was opened to whoever it may be.

It was not a coincidence, that a close friend of mine that I hadn’t seen in a while had called me up the day before I went to the events to seminar.We promised to meet for lunch on Monday… so he was the first one I called on Monday morning. I only got his voicemail so I created another appointment at 10:30 with a client friend.

A half hour into our business discussion, I told him I wanted to share with him what is going on in my life right now and proceeded to open up with him like I had never ever done before. A half hour into how my relationship has drastically changed with my wife and my career, he stops me and says, “I get it, this is about making a positive difference. I’d like to go and check it out for myself.” We agreed to meet at 5:30 Tues eve. He had a lot of questions but I asked him to save them for now.

It was close to 12 when I left his house and ended up going to this other guy’s house whom I was supposed to have lunch with. He was a no show and I told his grown nephew I would be in the area and have him call me when he gets home.

As I was leaving his place wondering where I should go, I see a guy walking down the street in a hurry, So I asked him if he needed a ride somewhere he could hop in. So he did. He tells me he had gotten lost taking a shortcut and needed to get to a bus stop. Where are you going? I ask. And says he was going to take the bus to the Kent train station. Well, I’ll just take you straight to the train station then! And he lights up with a grin from ear to ear!

As we are going along we get to talking about what I do for a living and then how he had moved recently and was now seeking employment in Kent. I say let me call my brother who works for Kent and see what openings they have… next minute my brother in on the blue tooth over the car speakers and I am asking him about career opportunities. This guy is listening and taking notes and by the time we get to the station he has a lead on a position he is interested in and turned on about. I give him my number and tell him to call me. He asks why I am doing all this… I reply with: “Because I can make a difference.” He nods and says thank you very much for caring and hops out to catch his train, promising to call me.

Afterwards, I realized I had an opportunity to go into telling him about how Landmark had made a difference with me to create this outpour. But I had chickened out! WOW… that rock sank deep in my chest and sat with me for awhile as I processed how I could have taught him how to fish instead of giving him one. At that moment, I chose to share this with everyone that crossed paths with me because there are no coincidences! That 20 something kid just taught me a valuable lesson. And when he calls, I will be ready!

Across from the train station was my brother’s office… so I popped in to connect with him. He knows about the Landmark seminars and went to the forum celebration with me. He is completely shut down about it and gets very uncomfortable whenever I mention it.

So, when I go into his office and thank him for his assistance, He asks who was in the car with me… and I reply with, “some guy I picked up waking on the side of the road.” His jaw drops! WTF ?!

“Ya, I could tell this guy needed help so I helped him.” My brother is just blown away as I share with him how that’s the way it is supposed to be and we put up our own barriers, preventing us from making a difference in life.

I can see in his eyes that I have inspired him… and so I go on about how I am going to make a difference in many more lives by completing and publishing a book. I have always been the little brother needing protection from him, my Big Bro and here I am declaring how its going to be from now on! No more: I dunno ! That act is over. I am moving on!

At this point, I purposely do not mention the seminar because if I do then its no longer about us – it becomes about them… them…. Them!And, this brother I love so much will shut down again. And during the advanced class, I realized that the best way to enroll my brother was to go in through the back door. Which means my wife is going to enroll his wife in the forum and I am going to enroll my grown nephews. It means really getting involved and working from the inside out. Then they will enroll him together. No doubts his heart will melt when he experiences the difference this makes in his family’s lives.

Just as I am leaving my brothers office, I get a call from my buddy that had promised a lunch get together last week. He apologizes and goes into a sob story– I cut him off and say I am in the area and was waiting for you, I am coming by right now. No more asking and no more assumptions… no telling and demanding either… just saying how its going to be.

My buddy shows me around his house and WOW it is a complete dark dungeon. We had to get out of that oppressing environment and took him out to a cup of coffee and as we were catching up, he asked what I had been up to lately.There was my opening.

The new conversation lasted 2 hours.And although he was open minded in going… he was very tight lipped.We made a commitment to meet the next day in downtown Renton but I could tell he by his actions today that he could make a promise and not keep it. I was concerned he was going to back out of going.So, we shook on it.

The next morning, I recommit to enrolling 10 people for the celebration. And that morning I have an appointment with a contractor friend that used to be real close and I had separated myself from. As we get done going through the motions of what needed fixing in my client’s home, I ask if he has time to get together. He says sure, why don’t you follow me back to my place. Wow, a real invite!So, I go. As I am driving behind him the fear starts to creep in the back of my mind that he wont like you very much if you share too much with him. I immediately heard Charlene’s voice say, “I don’t like you anyway!”

I couldn’t stop laughing… 20 minutes of gut busting laughter as I am following my ole friend thinking about how this is going to make a powerful difference and break a thick chain of addiction and anger and create a breakthrough for him, his wife and his three children. Because I said so ! So I got real.

And did so for 3 hours they kept asking me to go on and tell them more. I was doing my best to keep it simple – but they wanted details – so I got even more real. His wife had some issues blocking her but I didn’t try to tear them down… I just nodded and said I understood and said you can still co anyway. He said he was going no matter what. I left it at that and enrolled them to bring the whole family.

We were going to meet in downtown Renton and carpool or convoy. So my contractor friend represented 5 in his family. My coffeehouse buddy that I hadn’t seen in a long time represented 3, for him, his sister and nephew living in their self imposed dungeon. And my client friend represented at least 2, for him and his girlfriend. Here were my 10 and I was going to make sure each one of them showed.

Instead of going straight home and getting ready, I took a detour to the 3’s house as I was concerned bout him not showing up at all. I enrolled him and hour early and had him follow me back to my place so we would be on time to pick up our other members… he says there’s more? OH YA !

3 rides with me to meet the 5 and 2 – we are all on time and leave early to beat traffic, get parking and go for coffee. On the way there the 5 tells me he had a blown out argument with his wife and that she flat refused to go tonight and that this always happens. I tell him she is going through exactly what she needs to be dealing with and this forum will give him the tools to make a difference.

That did it… I am now pounded with questions like: is this amway? is this a pyramid? Will there be an orgy? Will there be live sacrifices like goats or virgins? Oh – it went on and on –all hilarious versions of stuff that had nothing to do with Landmark!